11
December 2016 English Bridge
raise to 4™ with a max, generating a very likely
minus score.
This extra clarity is immensely useful for judging
competitive auctions.
GAME TRIES - DOUBLES
If there is no room to make a bid of a new suit
below the level of the agreed major then I
recommend that you play:
l Bidding three of the agreed major again as purely
competitive - not invitational to game.
l You use double as a Game Try Double, not as a
penalty double.
West North East South
1™ 2t 2™ 3t
?
Here there is no room to bid a new suit below 3™
as a game-try, so we give up on the penalty double
and play:
Double = Game try double (essentially 3½ hearts)
3™ = Purely competitive
Thus with our two earlier examples after the
auction given above:
This hand would make a
game try double, whereas
this hand could compete with
3™, safe in the knowledge that
partner would now recognise
it as purely competitive, and
not go on to game when max.
SOME AUCTIONS DEFINED
West North East South
1´ 2® 2´ 3®
?
Double = Penalty orientated
3t = Natural(ish) game try for spades
3™ = Natural(ish) game try for spades
3´ = Purely competitive
West North East South
1´ 2t 2´ 3t
?
Double = Penalty orientated
3™ = Game try for spades (alertable, not natural)
3´ = Purely competitive
West North East South
1´ 2™ 2´ 3™
?
Double = Game try, not penalty
3´ = Purely competitive r
´ A 5 4
™ K Q 10 7 3
t K 9 7
® A 5
´ A 4
™ K Q 8 7 3 2
t K 9 7
® 9 5
Have you got it?
Check out Neil's quiz online, page 65